PNG set to host U/20 FIFA Cup

Sir Huber Murray Stadium under construct in Port Moresby. This stadium will host the Under 20Women's World Cup FIFA in 2016. Photo credit: skerah.com

PAPUA New Guinea will host next year’s Under 20 Women’s World Cup FIFA at the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium at Konedobu with games to be played in Lae, Rabaul and, hopefully, Kimbe.

Sports Minister Justin Tkatchenko said the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium, which is a private-public partnership between Curtain Brothers and the National Government, will be completed by April next year, in time to host the major international event.

He said the final stage of Sir Hubert Murray was a six-storey grandstand which will become the home of weight-lifting and boats conference centres, restaurants, sports bars, doctors and physiotherapists surgeries.

It will be a 20,000 seat stadium, the biggest in the city and in the country.

Mr Tkatchenko said 16 countries of the world will be in PNG for the soccer international event and will enjoy the sporting facility including playing also at Lae’s Sir Ignatius Kilage, East New Britain Province’s Kalabond. Organisers are still contemplating West New Britain Province as a host.

"Sir Hubert Murray will be complete by April next year, it will host FIFA Under 20 Women’s World Cup. And in the long run, it will hold a lot of the Intrust Super Cup Games of Rugby League and many other sports as well.

"This is a K120 million sporting facility," Mr Tkatchenko said.

– K60 million funded by Sir Mick Curtain while the other K60 million is from the National Government," he said.

"They’ll be exactly like the Sir John Guise Stadium at Waigani with all the seats," he said.